Six Degrees
There are only six degrees of separation between you and every voter in America. Six conversations a week, one weekly email with a topic to talk about.
Record turnout this November.
Every person here talks to six more. That's how 200,000 becomes millions.
The Why
This November, we can stop this.
The midterm elections are almost here — every House seat and a third of the Senate. It's our chance to put a real check on the corruption and the chaos. But a close election can be challenged — lawsuits, recounts, thrown-out ballots. A landslide can't. We need record turnout — big enough that no trick can undo it.
We know it works. It just happened.
The full story
Hungarians spent sixteen years being told their far-right authoritarian leader, Viktor Orbán, couldn't be beaten — he'd rewritten the rules, and the system was too rigged. This April, they voted him out anyway. No revolution. Just turnout: 79.6%.
And the voters are there: 90 million Americans stayed home in 2024 — in an election decided by margins a thousand times smaller. Non-voters are the biggest political bloc in America. Nobody's talking to them. We will.
The plan.
Get America to 80% — the number that beat Orbán. It starts with 200,000 of us each talking to six people we know: 1.2 million conversations a week. Then those people talk to their people.
The How
You're not here to win arguments.
Every week, we send you one short, plainly written topic — something happening in this country that's easy to miss if you're not following the news, with sources you can point to. Your job is just to bring it up with six people you know. At work, at school pickup, at the gym, over the fence.
"Did you hear about this?" is the whole move. You're delivering information, not a verdict. Then:
- Define.Make sure you're having the same conversation. Words get fused and lose their meaning — like how "leftist" and "conservative" both get used to mean "extremist." Slow down and say what you actually mean.
- Ask questions.A question opens a conversation; a lecture ends one. You're listening to understand where they are and find common ground — you're not grading their answers.
- Follow up.Leave the door open — the goal of any single conversation is that they'd be willing to have another one. Notice who's curious, and circle back next week.
Who we're talking to.
Not the people glued to cable news — they've picked a side. We're talking to the cousin who's never voted. The 19-year-old who thinks it's pointless. The coworker who's overwhelmed. The neighbor in a county everyone calls "decided." Ninety million people sat out the last election — we don't blame them for being uninspired by politicians. But we're betting their friends and neighbors can break through.
Where there's the most ground to gain
Talk to the people you know and the people who'll listen — every conversation counts. But if you're wondering where conversations can do the most, the data has an answer. Pew Research studied who stayed home in 2024: non-voters skew young (adults under 30 were 30% of non-voters, though they're only 20% of eligible adults), they skew working-class (nearly half have a high school education or less), and they live everywhere — including places written off as "decided," where people skip voting because they think the outcome is settled. So if your six includes a student, a coworker who never registered, or a friend in a "safe" district — those conversations might go furthest.
And non-voters aren't secretly one party's army — in 2024 they split almost evenly. They're not waiting to be claimed. They're waiting for a reason. Be the reason.
Starting now.
Are you registered to vote?
None of this counts at the polls if you're not registered. Check your voter registration — or register to vote for the first time — at Rock the Vote. It takes about two minutes.
Check your voter registration →Deadlines come earlier than people think: some states close registration as early as October 2 — a full month before Election Day. In New York, your form must be received by October 24.
Past Topics
Every week's topic, archived. Missed one? It still works at the barbecue.
Week 2 · August 10, 2026 The $100 Billion Refund "Did you know the government is refunding over $100 billion in tariffs — but the checks go to corporations, not to the people who actually paid higher prices?"
The story
Tariffs work like a sales tax at the border: companies write the check to customs, then pass the cost to you in prices. Studies found American buyers ended up covering nearly all of it — about 95 cents of every dollar. In February, the Supreme Court ruled the emergency tariffs unlawful — so the money has to be given back. But refund law follows the check, not the cost: the importing companies get it all. Apple has already collected $2.2 billion; Amazon, $600 million. More than $100 billion has gone back to corporations so far, with billions more on the way. No one is mailing you a refund for what you paid at the register.
If they push back
"Companies will pass the savings along." — A couple pledged to (UPS, FedEx). Most haven't, and lawsuits allege some are collecting twice — from your prices and from the Treasury.
"At least the tariffs are over." — No — tariffs under other laws continue. Families still pay about $1,100 a year at the register.
The ask
Ask six people if they knew where the refund checks are going. Then send them here.
Sources
Week 1 · July 27, 2026 They Detained Citizens "Did you know ICE has detained more than 170 American citizens? Including an Army veteran they held for three days — after he showed them his ID."
The story
ProPublica counted them one by one — from court records, lawsuits, and local news. More than 170 citizens held in nine months, nearly 20 of them kids. A construction worker in Alabama was detained twice while showing a valid REAL ID. In almost 50 cases, charges were dropped or never filed at all. Whatever someone thinks about immigration policy, Americans being held by their own government — with proof of citizenship in hand — is supposed to be impossible. It wasn't a glitch; it happened over 170 times.
If they push back
"They must have done something." — In nearly 50 cases, charges were dismissed or never filed. A veteran was held three days after showing ID.
"That's a few mistakes." — 170+ documented cases in nine months — and those are only the ones that reached a court record or a newspaper.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. That's why Six Degrees exists — one topic a week, told friend to friend. Send six people here.
Sources
ProPublica investigation (via OPB) · ProPublica — congressional follow-up
The Topic Bank
More verified topics, ready when you are. These haven't gone out as a weekly email yet — if the week's topic doesn't fit the conversation you're in, pull one of these instead. Every fact links to a source a skeptic can check.
Topic Bank · Corruption A Billion-Dollar Side Business "Did you know the president reported over $1 billion in personal income from his crypto businesses last year — in his own ethics filing?"
The story
Every president files a financial disclosure with the Office of Government Ethics. The one Trump signed this June — 927 pages — reports more than $1 billion in 2025 income from his family's crypto ventures: hundreds of millions from his meme coin, hundreds of millions more from token sales at World Liberty Financial. Here's the problem: anyone on earth — including foreign governments and people with business before the U.S. — can put money into those ventures, often anonymously. Every modern president before this one sold off or walled off his businesses while in office.
If they push back
"Making money isn't a crime." — The issue is who's paying. Anyone, anywhere, can anonymously put money in a sitting president's pocket. No other president has allowed that.
"The media inflates these numbers." — The number comes from his own signed federal filing, not an estimate.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Topic Bank · Corruption The "Free" Plane "Did you know the luxury jet Qatar gave the president is costing taxpayers up to $400 million to retrofit?"
The story
Qatar's government gave Trump a luxury Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One. The Air Force Secretary told Congress the retrofit will cost taxpayers up to $400 million; he took his first flight on it this July. And when he leaves office, he says the plane goes to his presidential library — not back to the Air Force. So the public pays to upgrade a foreign government's gift, and he keeps it. Foreign gifts to the president are exactly what the Constitution's emoluments clause was written for, and lawmakers in both parties objected.
If they push back
"A free plane saves taxpayers money." — Up to $400 million in taxpayer retrofit costs, and it exits to his library, not the fleet.
"Presidents get gifts all the time." — Not $400 million aircraft from foreign governments they set policy toward. That's why the Constitution has a clause about it.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
NPR — first flight and retrofit cost · Breaking Defense — Air Force Secretary's testimony
Topic Bank · Corruption Who's Paying for the Ballroom? "Did you know corporations with business pending before the White House are paying for the president's $300 million private ballroom?"
The story
The White House published the donor list itself: 37 corporations and wealthy individuals funding the new ballroom. Many of them have mergers, federal contracts, or lawsuits pending before this administration. YouTube settled a lawsuit with Trump by directing $22 million to the ballroom fund. Union Pacific donated while waiting on approval of a giant railroad merger. There's no hidden money trail to dig up here — the list of companies paying for the president's ballroom while he regulates them is an official government document.
If they push back
"Private donations mean no taxpayer cost. That's good." — The issue isn't the cost. It's who's paying: companies the president regulates and awards contracts to.
"Companies donate to every administration." — Not to build the president a ballroom while their mergers sit on his desk. That's pay-to-play in plain sight.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
AP — the White House donor list · Fortune — donors with federal contracts
Topic Bank · Affordability The Health Insurance Spike "Did you know people who buy their own health insurance saw their monthly payments jump 58% this year?"
The story
Millions of people buy coverage on the health insurance marketplaces — freelancers, small-business owners, early retirees, anyone without job coverage. Extra tax credits kept their premiums down for five years. Congress let those credits expire at the end of 2025. This year, the average monthly payment jumped from $113 to $178 — a 58% increase — and the average deductible climbed by more than $1,000, the steepest increase on record. Many people dropped their coverage altogether.
If they push back
"Doesn't affect me — I get insurance through work." — It's your barber, your plumber, your kid's piano teacher. And when healthy people drop out, everyone's costs climb.
"Obamacare was always broken." — Whatever you think of the law, Congress chose to let the help lapse — and the bill landed on working people.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
KFF — the 2026 premium and deductible data · Commonwealth Fund — the increase in perspective
Topic Bank · Accountability They Fired the Scorekeeper "Did you know that when last August's jobs report came in weak, the president fired the person in charge of counting the jobs?"
The story
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the agency that counts jobs and prices — boring, careful work that every business, bank, and retirement fund relies on. Last August its numbers showed hiring had stalled. Within hours, the president fired the commissioner, calling the numbers "rigged" — no evidence was offered, then or since. His pick to replace her floated suspending the monthly jobs report altogether. Since then, staffing cuts have forced the agency to collect less price data in fewer cities. When the scoreboard shows bad news, you can fix the problem — or fire the scorekeeper.
If they push back
"Maybe the numbers were rigged." — Revisions happen every month, in both directions, under every president. That's the method working. No evidence of tampering was ever produced.
"How does this affect me?" — Your 401(k), your boss's hiring plans, and your mortgage rate all run on those numbers being honest.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
NBC News — the firing · CBS News — the replacement pick's suggestion
Topic Bank · Free Speech Punished for Speaking "Did you know federal judges have ruled 75 times — in a year and a half — that this administration violated the First Amendment?"
The story
The president promised to "bring free speech back." Reuters went through the federal court record and counted what judges actually found: 93 free-speech lawsuits against the administration, and rulings against it in 75. The cases aren't abstract — punishing law firms for who they represented, stripping federal workers of union rights as retaliation, pulling university funding over ideology, detaining students over op-eds. Ten of those rulings came from judges appointed by Republican presidents. One Reagan appointee wrote that using government power for "retribution for disdained speech" threatens everyone's freedom.
If they push back
"Those are activist liberal judges." — Ten rulings came from Republican appointees. The sharpest rebuke came from a Reagan judge.
"That was about foreigners, not Americans." — The 75 include American law firms, professors, federal workers, and protesters. Courts ruled the government punished them for speech.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Reuters — the analysis · The Daily Record — syndicated report
Topic Bank · Environment Forever Chemicals on the Farm "Did you know the EPA just scrapped its own scientists' plan to limit 'forever chemicals' in the sludge that gets spread on farmland as fertilizer?"
The story
Treated sewage sludge is sold as cheap fertilizer and spread on American farmland. In January 2025, EPA scientists published a 272-page risk assessment finding that even tiny amounts of PFAS — "forever chemicals" linked to cancer — in that sludge can create health risks for farm families that exceed the agency's safety thresholds many times over. This June, the EPA threw that assessment out and replaced it with 9 pages of voluntary guidance that sets no limits and says the problem isn't widespread. Both documents are still on the EPA's own website. Meanwhile, states like Maine have already had to shut down farms poisoned by PFAS sludge.
If they push back
"It was only a draft rule anyway." — That assessment was the required first step toward any legal limit. Scrapping it ends the path to a rule.
"Sludge fertilizer is rare." — EPA's own new guidance flags about 20% of sludge products sold to home gardeners for "precautionary practices."
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
EPA — the 9-page replacement guidance · EPA — the original risk assessment findings
Topic Bank · Environment Erasing the Tap Water Rules "Did you know the EPA is erasing federal drinking-water limits for four of the six 'forever chemicals' it started regulating just two years ago?"
The story
In 2024, the EPA set the first-ever national limits on six "forever chemicals" in tap water — chemicals linked to cancer that never break down in the body. In May 2026, the agency formally proposed erasing the limits for four of them, and delaying enforcement on the remaining two until 2031 — seven years after the science set the standard. One of the four being erased is GenX, the chemical that contaminated drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina's Cape Fear region. The proposal is published in the Federal Register — the government's own legal record.
If they push back
"They kept the limits on the two worst ones." — With enforcement pushed to 2031. And GenX — which poisoned a real water supply — loses its limit entirely.
"It's only a proposal." — A formal one, in the Federal Register. That's the documented action, in the government's own words.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Federal Register — the rescission proposal · ProPublica — background
Topic Bank · Environment The Lawsuit Next to the School "Did you know the Justice Department dropped its own lawsuit against a chemical plant emitting a likely carcinogen at 15 times the EPA's recommended level — next to an elementary school?"
The story
In LaPlace, Louisiana, the EPA's own air monitors measured chloroprene — a likely carcinogen, especially dangerous to children — at up to 15 times the level the agency recommends for long-term exposure. The readings came from around the Denka chemical plant, near Fifth Ward Elementary School. The federal government sued in 2023 to force the plant to cut emissions. In March 2025, the Justice Department dismissed its own case — and announced it in a press release on its own website, presenting the dismissal as a model for ending cases like it nationwide. The monitors, the lawsuit, and the dismissal are all government records.
If they push back
"The plant wasn't breaking any standard." — Chloroprene had no numeric standard — that's why the law's emergency provision was used. The 15x readings are EPA's own.
"That's old news." — The dismissal stands, and the DOJ itself called it a template for dropping similar cases.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
DOJ — its own dismissal announcement · Verite News — the monitoring data and the school
Topic Bank · Public Safety FEMA at 12 Percent "Did you know that when this hurricane season started, only 12% of FEMA's disaster workforce was available?"
The story
That number comes from the GAO — the nonpartisan watchdog that audits the government for Congress. FEMA lost nearly 1 in 10 of its employees in five months, including 20 senior executives, and the GAO added federal disaster response to its official High Risk List. Nearly half a million disaster-assistance applications had to be escalated because the staff processing them weren't fully trained. Hurricane season runs through November, and 710 disasters were still receiving federal help when it began. This isn't a prediction about what might go wrong — it's the government's own auditor measuring what already has.
If they push back
"FEMA was always slow and bloated." — GAO's point is that it measurably got worse: the workforce shrank while 710 disasters were still open.
"States should handle disasters." — Maybe someday. But the capacity was cut before anything existed to replace it.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Topic Bank · Public Safety Fewer Eyes on Our Food "Did you know FDA inspections of the foreign facilities that produce much of our food fell nearly 30% last year — to the lowest level since 2011?"
The story
ProPublica analyzed the FDA's own inspection database. After layoffs cut roughly 1 in 5 workers across the agency's food and drug safety divisions — including 65% of the staff who arrange inspectors' overseas travel — inspections of foreign food facilities dropped to a 15-year low. Only about 20 investigators are dedicated to inspecting food facilities abroad, for a country that imports more than half of its fresh fruit and much of its seafood. Fewer inspections doesn't mean the problems go away. It means they get found after people eat the food instead of before.
If they push back
"The FDA never inspected enough anyway." — True — which is why cutting the small capacity that existed makes it worse, not neutral.
"Nobody's gotten hurt." — The claim here is the inspection drop itself, and it's in the FDA's own database.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
ProPublica — analysis of FDA inspection data · Undark — corroborating report
Topic Bank · Public Health Measles Is Back "Did you know the U.S. has more measles cases this year than any year since 1991 — a disease we officially eliminated in 2000?"
The story
The CDC's own count: over 2,300 confirmed cases by late July 2026 — already past last year's full-year total, with five months still to go, and the most since 1991. About 1 in 10 infected children under 5 has ended up in the hospital. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000; it came back as vaccination rates slipped. And doctors point out that in the middle of a 35-year-record outbreak, the nation's top health officials have weakened vaccine guidance and public messaging instead of strengthening it. Whatever someone thinks about any particular vaccine, "a disease we beat is back at record levels" is a fact from the government's own tracker.
If they push back
"Vaccine hesitancy started years before this." — It did. The record count is the CDC's own number either way — and the official response has been weaker guidance, not stronger.
"Measles is mild." — 1 in 10 infected young kids hospitalized, per CDC data.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
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